Extension educators' perceptions of the local food system

Extension educators in three Northeastern states were surveyed about their perspectives on 21 LFS topics. Educators identified all 21 topics to be important. Principal factor analysis was carried out to identify factors that underlie the importance of these issues. Five factors-food access, food system viability, localization of food systems, food safety and land use-accounted for 60.61% of the total variance. Educators' areas of primary program responsibility, gender, and previous participation in LFS activities revealed significant differences across the importance placed on the factors, suggesting that individual perspectives and professional responsibilities influence an educator's commitment to LFS engagement.